Right now I'm a proud user (sort of) of iGuidance 2004. I know that 2009 is available, but I don't see much of a need to upgrade at the moment. But, here are my suggestions for the next version:

First, and foremost, the ability to use our own POI's.

(Note: this doesn't have to be built into the program itself. An addon program would work fine for it.) I drive truck for a living and there are very few built in POI's in iGuidance for trucks. Even the Automotive/Truck Stops POI's in it are severely lacking. I've only had it find one or two truck stops when I know there are many others. Even if iNav doesn't add more truck stops to the built-in list, such as Pilot, Love's, T/A, Petro, Flying J, Wilco/Hess, etc, let ME add them. Also, we have other POI's that are extremely important, such as weigh stations, truck washes, truck scales, etc. Again, let ME add them. I can download POI data from the company websites. But, again, we need the ability to add them. Also, allow the user to save the current location to the custom POI's, into the correct category. One more feature for the custom POI's would be a simple export to a comma/tab-delimited text file. What I would do is to create a "Custom" POI category. From inside the Custom category, allow the user to create sub-categories for the personal POI's. Something like this:

Code:

Custom
|-Truck Stops
|-Pilot
|-Petro
|-etc
|-Weigh Stations
|-etc

Second, better auto-zoom & driving views.

Right now I'm an owner of CoPilot 9 Truck. This program has an almost perfect setup for driving views. I can select 3-D (which I rarely use), Next turn (which displays the route from your current location to the next turn) & Destination (which displays the route from your current location to your destination). Both the Next Turn & Destination views are 2-D, north-up views. As you drive, it automatically zooms in, displaying more and more detail as you get closer. Once you're within 5-6 miles, it changes to a Heading-up view, which is great to have. For the 3-D view, change it to the Garmin style 3-D view. In the Garmin, you can set a default zoom level. It then slowly zooms in to display your next turn. Once you make that turn, it returns to your default view. That definitely beats the autozoom not zooming until you're at 1000 feet from the turn.

Third, POI Alerts.

Allow the user to select POI's from any category/sub-category that will produce an alert on-screen to the user when they're within a selected distance from that POI, such as 1,2,5,10 miles. When the alert is displayed, the user can then have the ability to add that POI as a waypoint/stop in their current route by hitting one button on the alert box.

Fourth, the ability to search for POI's along the current route.

Being in a truck, I definitely don't want to have to stop and figure out if I can actually get to a POI from where I am, or to turn around, hit a completely different route, etc. Normally, programs with the "search along route" option will search within .5 to 1 mile of the current route, along the entire distance of the route.

Fifth, release a SDK for iGuidance (or at the bare minimum, a dll plugin for it).

I'm currently using Centrafuse as my front-end software. iGuidance integrates very nicely in it. But there are a couple things that it needs with the main thing being that when iGuidance "speaks", it needs to let a program know (via the plugin) so that the front-end software can pause/mute anything currently playing in order for the spoken directions aren't covered up by whatever the user is listening to. The plugin doesn't need to be anything special. Just create an event for when the speaking starts/stops.

iGuidance is a fantastic program. If there were only a few additions/changes made to the program, it'd be the best out there. I'm not asking for a truck specific version. Any user can make use of the suggestions I've made, as they're definitely not truck specific.

Marvin Hlavac

Own POIs, Auto-zoom, yes!

Mister

Agreed with the above + my own "vendetta" is to be able to choose your TTS own voice engine form the windows list.

I just have a few suggestions for the next version. 1. a global search for poi where for example you could just enter "mcdonalds" without entering a category first and and get a list with adresses sorted by distance. 2.) The option to display even more information on the screen such as "time to next turn" and "current time". 3.) I would like the option to have the current city or town always displayed. (I realize that that "current view" will show the current city but it does not update while you drive.

Jim

malaki86

+1 for suggestions 1 & 3. Suggestion 2, I could go either way - if it's there fine, if not, I'll live. Besides, I already have 5 clocks that I can see from my drivers seat (talk about something that will drive someone with OCD nuts).

d111

A much better way to do anti-piracy / DRM.

Multiple legal (ie 3) licenses per paid copy.

Software based activation only. No locked SD card.

Vinster

Quote:

Originally Posted by d111

A much better way to do anti-piracy / DRM.

Multiple legal (ie 3) licenses per paid copy.

Software based activation only. No locked SD card.

I signed up to agree with this post. A friend of mine has iGv3.. I love it, I'm running streets/trips... I like his iGV3 much better.... I am going on a trip at the end of march and now reading this, I am not moving to 2009. not now... I agree with anti-piracy.. I have spent a lot of money to be legit.... but faith in the customer has to be there as well.

The part I don't like about the Internet activation is if you choose you want me to upgrade you can just turn off you server. and on my next transfer/upgrade I am pooched...

No Thanks

I'll check in when you have v2010. Hopefully you will be more customer oriented.

Vin

d111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinster

I agree with anti-piracy.. I have spent a lot of money to be legit.... but faith in the customer has to be there as well.

The part I don't like about the Internet activation is if you choose you want me to upgrade you can just turn off you server. and on my next transfer/upgrade I am pooched...

No Thanks

Vin - I have given the issue a lot of thought - and have come to a very hard line with respect to activation.

Long ago, I watched the spectacle of a company that dominated the desktop word processor space collapse after implementing copy protection that limited customers to 3 installs, and have their market taken over by another company that did not prematurely implement such a strategy.

The company is called MicroPro, which dominated the world with Wordstar Word Processors until Wordstar 2000 came out with copy protection.

They died a quick death, never recovered from the flop.

Vinster

I was going to buy this software until I read the DRM method. The thing that bothers me is they can control if I upgrade or not in the future. Just by shutting down the server would force a user to have to upgrade...

Does it say anywhere that the software can/will be able to be activated in 2-3 years.. no there is no guarantee to that... but my buddies v3... well he just re-installed it on his PC without any issue obviously...

Will 2009 be able to do that in 3-4 years?

See me personally I hold on to any bit of software until it can no longer server a purpose for me.... If I had 2009 and the map in my area worked I wouldn't think of updating.... but they can change that and that puts me right off.

Vin

d111

Vin,

Giving the issue a lot of thought, I basically decide to revert to V3.

Am updating my Microsoft S&T for 2010, but not much else until I find another vendor that have a DRM policy I can live with.

Marvin Hlavac

Quote:

Does it say anywhere that the software can/will be able to be activated in 2-3 years.. no there is no guarantee to that..

I see no reason why not.

d111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin Hlavac

I see no reason why not.

Suppose one day, iNav unilaterally decided to shut down activation for their older versions.

In theory, the license transfer to other device via SD or USB might work.

However, there is no assurance that internet activation / transfer will be supported.

Take another scenario: if iNav went bust and is liquidated, don't expect activation.

Marvin Hlavac

Even though software activation does have some potential problems (like anything else in life), it would not prevent me from buying a great program. I know it is very upsetting if a customer service doesn't respond to our needs sometimes, but again, such is life. I personally love iGuidance. I've been using it from version 1.1 (back in 2003, if I recall correctly). If I could decide on one single most important improvement in future versions of iGuidance, it would likely be something like better auto-zoom, support for personal POIs, or anything else from the list Malaki86 posted in his first post of this thread. Activation would not make the top 5 on my personal list. It has never been an issue for me.

Vinster

Marvin, I see where you are coming from and I undertand. but the experience D had over the holidays to me, puts us bent over a barrel. Things always break when you need it most, I'm planing on a driving trip. If the week before the trip the software pooped and I couldn't get it working on time and support wasn't helpfull, it would be in a package heading back to them and I'd want my money back... You pay for something that works... if it doesn't, what good is it.

And yes I am focusing on this 1 thing, this is from what I see the best GPS SW out there, bar non... but the experience D111 had could happen to me and for that I would rather not get in to it.

Vin

tcassidy

I think you will be disappointed in whatever software package you finally settle on if your main concern is whether it might fail due to whatever reason. There are so many other issues to focus on that activation concerns are waaay down on my list.